In dominant fashion, the Los Angeles Kings hammered the New Jersey Devils 6-1 to win the Stanley Cup. After a stupid decision on the part of Steve Bernier to hit Rob Scuderi from behind with all his might, and Bernier’s subsequent banishment from the game and accompanying 5 minute major penalty, the Kings basically won the Stanley Cup by scoring three times on the power play. It only got worse for the Devils from that point on, as the Kings were all over them. That deep lineup the Kings sport overwhelmed the Devils, winning decisively on home ice, the second spanking they had given the Devils in the series.

To Jersey’s credit, they tried to muster up a worthy effort, but after falling behind 3-0 early in the first period, the Devils chances were extremely slim, and everyone knew it. Jersey managed to score 3 goals in a game once in the Stanley Cup final, thanks to a brilliant and clutch empty net goal by their $100 million studhorse Ilya Kovalchuk-Grossman. Wasn’t he something, that guy. Did he even dress for game 7 ? For those not catching on, that is called sarcasm … Anyway, the Devils were done, but put in a token effort, sprinkled with some Vancouver Canuck style poor sportsmanship from David Clarkson and some Vancouver Canuck style stupidity from Ryan Carter. The Kings responded with two goal efforts from marquee name Jeff Carter and depth plugger Trevor Lewis. That late goal from Matt Greene was salt in the gaping wound ….

As for the Bernier penalty, there was some whining out of the Devils camp about the call, but anyway you cut it, the Devils were beaten. The Kings stepped up and seized the opportunity. A 6-1 game is not close in any sense. What kind of porous penalty killing unit allows a three goal shelling ? What about the rest of the game ? Kind of sad to see the Devils whine after being soundly beaten …

Bernier’s hit on Scuderi was a 5 minute penalty, too. Charging, boarding, call it what you want. It was the right call. Why no call to Jarret Stoll for wiping out Steve Gionta ? Pretty soft shove that was, not really a hit. That is why frail shrimps don’t generally play in the NHL – they aren’t strong enough to handle the physical presence of other players. Gionta should not have even been on the ice. He is no NHL player. Just happens to be the brother of one of Lou’s old faves ….

It was interesting to see the wild swing in officiating in the deciding game. A series in which the Devils had enjoyed a very clear advantage in calls and favor from the officials swung 180, as the whistle equipped donkeys missed no chance to throw a Devil in the sin bin. Did the Devils deserve all those penalties ? Maybe, maybe not. Did the Kings deserve more penalties ? Yeah, probably. Odd that the zebras would try and even up the favoritism shown the Devils in the previous 5 games all in one night. But again, though the effort and intent was there from New Jersey to kill penalties and compete in the game, it was the Kings depth and desire that won out. And when you lose a series 4 games to 2, a series in which you lose one game 4-0 and another game 6-1, a series in which you fall behind 3 game to none, you are in no position to whine. You have been soundly beaten.

The Kings are a team that had everything going wrong for a year and a half. They failed to meet expectations during the 2010-11 season. They failed to meet expectations for most of the 2011-12 season. GM Dean Lombardi was on the hot seat and in danger of being fired and missing the playoffs. He made a decision to bring in old associate Darryl Sutter as coach, a move that was not exactly applauded in media circles. Lombardi stretched out his neck and laid it directly on the chopping block when he acquired Jeff Carter from the Columbus Blue Jackets. Lombardi made a subtle move by bringing up a pair of large individuals from the AHL, Jordan Nolan and Dwight King. These moves all came together perfectly, and by the time the playoffs started, the King juggernaut was ready to be unleashed. That club we watched go 16 and 4 through the playoffs finally exceeded expectations.

They totally wiped the Canucks. When the Canucks were able to get some pressure, the Kings had Jon Quick. When the Kings got a chance, they scored, ending Roberto Luongo’s time in Vancouver. The St Louis series was as one-sided an affair as has been played out in recent years. The Blues were never really in any of those games. Though Phoenix played out the Conference Final according to their game plan, they only won once. Too much depth on the Kings roster. That is a huge team, with a lot of accomplished and marquee names on the roster. Everyone seems to be about 6 foot 3 with decent wheels ….. Just ask the Devils. New Jersey stuck to the game plan, and managed to win two games …. But don’t forget all the posts the Kings hit in those games. The series could have easily been a sweep ….. As for the argument that Jersey could have just as easily won the first two games, that went to overtime, well, no. Don’t try that approach. Why ? Because even though Jersey had a chance, their guys failed. They failed to step up. Anze Kopitar didn’t fail. He delivered. Same for Jeff Carter. Too much depth, and too much skill. Too much size. Too much speed. Too much desire. Good bye New Jersey Devils. It was fun while it lasted, but the unexpected and surprising Cup run from New Jersey should be appreciated for what it was – everything going right for the Devils for three rounds. Then they confronted a superior opponent, and lost.

Cool moments of the Night : The hometown Kings fans counting down the final seconds … always cool to see the Cup won on home ice ….. and the ensuing mayhem …. Always cool to see the team captain hoist the Stanley Cup over his head, and it was no different this year, as Dustin Brown lifted the greatest trophy in all of sport. Great applause from the fans for coach Darryl Sutter when he hoisted the Stanley Cup. Not bad for a farm kid from Viking, Alberta who grew up playing hockey in the barn loft with his brothers ….. Lots of pictures circulating now that feature the plethora of former Flyers that play in Los Angeles …. One gooder has the toxic twins, or whatever Paul Holmgren thought Carter and Richards were, with Simon Gagne. They have the Stanley Cup. That should cause Holmgren to think about any future moves involving big bodied swift skating goal scorers or team captains that have Olympic Gold medals, Memorial Cups, Calder Cups and World Junior Gold medals laying around their apartments, even if there happen to be a few beer bottles laying around ….. Of note for Saskatchewan hockey fans : Former Melfort Mustang Willie Mithcell looked pretty pleased as he lifted the silver grail. Beardy BlackHawk grad Dwight King sported a huge grin as he embraced the Cup. And not to be forgotten, Jarret Stoll also experienced the euphoria of lifting the Stanly Cup …

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